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B. SMITH. v Reciprocating Propeller for Ve'jS'IS;6 1s-.f

No. 230,204. Patented July 20, 1880.

humans, VPHOTO-LITHOGRAPH EH, WASH INGTOM. D. Q

UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

iniqfimmA. m msm RICHARD SMITH, OF SHERBROOKE, QUEBEC, CANADA.

REC IPROCATING PROPELLER FOR VESSELS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 230,204, dated July 20,1880.

l Application filed January 12, 1880.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD SMITH, of Sherbrooke, in the Province ofQuebec and Dominion of Canada, have invented certain Improvements inReciprocating Propellers for Vessels, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to improvements in propellers for steam vessels;and it consists in a contractile blade operated by means of asteam-cylinder, having within it a double piston, the piston-rod beingconnected to a rotary spindle, which operates, by means of cranks,connecting-rods, and sliding rod and yoke, the links attached to theback of the blades, whereby the blades are opened or closed and heldfirmly in either position at pleasure, all of which will be hereinaftermore fully described, and set forth in the claims.

Figure 1 represents a plan view of two sets of apparatus for work'in gtwo propellers alternately, one of them being in section. Fig. 2 is aside view of one apparatus partly in section and part in elevation. Fig.3 is a bottom sectional view of Fig. 1, showing the steel straps aroundthe spindle. Fig. 4 is a front or side view of a propeller-blade.

A A represent the propeller-blades, which are hinged to a middle bar, AFig. 4., supported firmly upon the end of the shaft T. To the back ofthe blades are attached the links 70 70 which are hinged to a slidingyoke, Q, in which is a rod, r, to which is attached a connecting-rod, R,which moves freely within the hollow shaft T, and having its other endattached to a cross-rod, P, of the arms 0 O, which arms are connected bycranks N N to the spindle M, the axle of which spindle M operates thecranks N N, and causes the rod P to reciprocate with the cross-rod R,which slides to and fro in the slots 8 of the frame S.

The spindle M is caused to rotate by means of the steel straps f j,which are attached to it and to the flattened extension of a pistonrod,H, which rod has on it two pistons, G and G working in the two chambersE and E of the cylinder K, having a guide-rod, D to which are attachedtwo steel straps, d (1 ,0011- nected to one arm of a rocker, YY,supported on a vertical shaft, J, around which shaft are steel straps d(I, also connected to a rod, D,

which is the extension of the piston-rod of a steam-cylinder, (l, whichfurnishes the motive power for propulsion.

The other parts of the apparatus to aid in effecting the propulsion aresuch as may be found requisite and subordinate to the eifectual workingof these main features.

In the drawings the following are represented as the best means. Eachcylinder K K slides within the steam-chest F F which chests are providedwith ports a a (L in which cylinders K K are corresponding ports I) b bI), having at each end respectively the chambers E E and in which workthe pistons Gr G connected by the rod H. The outer end of H is flattenedand curved, as shown in Fig. 2, and to the concave side are attached theflat steel straps f f, which are carried around the spindle M, as seenin Fig. 3, so that as the rod H moves in or out it correspondinglyrotates spindle M, and, as before described, carries in a correspondingdirection the rod 1? and yoke Q, for closing or opening the propeller.

The whole action is as follows: Steam being admitted to the steam-chestof cylinder 0 and to the steam-chests F F, the port I) of slidingcylinder K being in juxtaposition to the port a of steam-chest F, thepiston G is forced to the other end of chamber E carrying with it thepiston G to the other end of the chamber E, and, as before described,causing the propeller to be opened. The piston B of cylinder 0 thencompletes a stroke, and by means of the arms Y Y, rod D and slidingcylinder K, which is caused to move in steam-chest F, the wholeapparatus, consisting of frame S, spindle M, and connections up to yokeQ, is forced outwardly, and the open propeller is pressed against thewater. So soon as this takes place the other propeller has beenclosed,as seen in'Fig. 1, and is drawn inwardly by the sliding cylinderpassing into the position shown at K. upper part of Fig. 1.

The lower part of Fig. 1 shows the propeller at the last end of theoutward movement ready to be closed upon the withdrawal of K Thismovement is effected by the stop 0 on the rod D, which operates thelever Z, to reverse the movement of piston B in cylinder 0.

The port I) of the sliding cylinder K is brought up to port a ofsteam-chest F, and the pistons G G regain their former positions andclose the propeller, as seen in Fig. 1, upper part. By shifting theposition of the reversing valves, one of which is shown at at, Figs 1and 2, the port a receives steam and communicates it alternately bymeans of the ports I) and b of the sliding cylinder K to the oppositesides of the pistons Gr G thereby causing the propeller to open at thereverse end of the stroke.

It will be evident that by a modification each propelling mechanism maybe operated by an independent steam-cylinder, the piston'rod of whichmight be attached to the sliding cylinder K. Also, theshapeofthepropeller might be either circular, elliptical, or other convenientform, or maybe in form of a ring containing within its periphery anyconvenient number of swiveled blades instead of those shown anddescribed. By this arrangement of a slidin g cylinder having within itthe double steamchamber for operating the movements of thepropeller-blades, it will be seen that the position of the blades iseffectually secured either for the forward or backing motion, as thearrangement of the cranks N N, arms 0 O, and rod B being directly in thesame line when in action, the greatest strength is thereby secured.

I claim- 1. The combination of the hinged propeller blades A A,connected to the yoke Q, the sliding rod R, operated within the hollowshaft T, the rod P, arms 0 O, cranks N N, andspindle M, with itspiston-rod H working in a suitable cylinder, substantially as and forthe purpose described.

2. The combination of the propeller A A, constructed as described, theyokeQ, operated by means of the rod R, arms 0 O, cranks N N, spindle M,piston-rod H, pistons G G, and chambers E and E of a sliding cylinder,F, substantially as and for the. purposedescribed.

RICHARD SMITH.

Witnesses:

O. F. VFIGGETT, E. PELLEW EEL'roN.

